This is one of my all-time favorite quotes from fellow breast cancer warrior, Elizabeth Edwards. Life is full of storms. From hurricanes all the way down to the small rain shower, we have all found ourselves in the midst of something that threatens the safety, security, and foundation we have built our lives on. Going through life, we all have a basic outline as to how we want our lives to play out. Sometimes these storms come out of nowhere and into our lives, like a thunderstorm in the summer.

Breast cancer was a full-blown, unwelcomed monsoon that came into my life with no warning. All of the sudden I found myself standing in the middle of this storm, wondering which way I should go. How do I get out of this storm? Where can I take cover? I couldn’t run. I had to face it head on and ride it out, doing whatever I had to do to keep myself safe and protected. I did what I had to do to save my life – surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and more surgery. Those were all part of the storm, waves that I had to swim through to get to the other side.

Now that I am through my “storm of the decade,” I have perspective on what I went through. I adjusted my sails in the storm and chose a new route. This new route I am on is so much more fulfilling. It’s full of love, selflessness, and compassion. One of the best things to come from this storm, has been the ability to work for The Ellie Fund. The Ellie Fund was my umbrella through my storm, keeping me dry and protected. I have now made a life of doing as much good in the world as I can. It feels good. I love the new route I am on and wouldn’t trade it for anything right now.

Next week marks the 5th anniversary of my very last radiation treatment which wrapped up the active treatment phase of my cancer journey. The two pictures below were taken exactly 5 years apart…one from that summer 5 years ago and one from this summer.

Here we are in August 2007: Collin is so little at just 8 months and Jeffrey is 3.

And here we are now, August 2012: Collin is 5 1/2 and Jeffrey is 8.

To everyone who’s helped us get to this point: Thanks and Cheers to the next five years!

]]>http://elliefund.org/blog/storms/feed/0Movin’ on Up…http://elliefund.org/blog/moving/
http://elliefund.org/blog/moving/#commentsTue, 07 Aug 2012 17:52:31 +0000http://elliefund.org/?p=5042Ok, it’s actually just across the hall, but still! We are excited! The past month has been a month of physical growth for The Ellie Fund. Not only did we add another Patient Services and Database Coordinator but we also moved our office! The address remains the same but this office is nothing like our old one. For starters it is HUGE (better yet, our old office was tiny)! We basically doubled our square footage from the previous one and added separate work spaces for each of us. All of us now have privacy and s-p-a-c-e to do our work.

We are still putting the finishing touches on each space but here is a sneak peek at what one of the spaces looked like

before

and after!

Next up…highlights from two fabulous summer events!

]]>http://elliefund.org/blog/moving/feed/0Time to Blog!http://elliefund.org/blog/time/
http://elliefund.org/blog/time/#commentsTue, 31 Jul 2012 18:39:49 +0000http://elliefund.org/?p=4993Welcome to our BLOGWe know what you’re thinking: It’s about TIME the Ellie Fund had a blog! Well, yes, it IS about time. We’ve been busier than ever lately. Over the past two weeks we added a new colleague and moved our office. And now that we’re (almost) done with that, we have time: To be more efficient, thanks to the new phone system. To hear ourselves think, thanks to the divided workspaces. (Previously, five of us shared 500 square feet.) To help more breast cancer patients and families than ever before, thanks to our new staff member. And yes, finally…time to blog.

Say Hello to AnneAnne Meisner, from Natick, MA, is our new Patient Services & Database Coordinator. You’ve seen this photo of her on our website from when she was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. Anne will be working with Director of Patient Services Gail Fine taking care of patient needs, and creating, maintaining and nurturing our new database.

Anne is no stranger to the Ellie Fund. She was one of the first patients I worked with when I started our current program, was the first speaker at our inaugural Kelley for Ellie fashion show, has been a dedicated event volunteer, Board Member, and great friend. She’s also a strong supporter of First Descents and Sharsheret. We’re thrilled to have her on Team Ellie! You can reach her at anne@elliefund.org.

The Pink Heals Tour2011“Cares Enough to Wear Pink”

Driving for Cancer. Driving Awareness. Driving across America.

September 14, 2011 * Granite Links Golf Club, Quincy * 6:30 -8:00 PM

Join the talented children from the Rising Stars and Center Stage performing arts troupes and the Fire & Police Departments of Braintree, Quincy and Milton in welcoming the arrival of the Pink Heals Tour 2011 to Boston!

Families will enjoy:
* Opportunity to meet the firefighters and explore the trucks
* Write a message on the truck in honor of a loved one or friend
* Special performance by Rising Stars and Center Stage
* Complimentary Make-Your-Own Sundae Bar hosted by Pinkberry
* Making artwork to be delivered to local families fighting breast cancer

Admission to the event is a suggested $10 donation per family to the Ellie Fund collected at the door.

About the Pink Heals TourThe Pink Heals Tour has visited more than 1,000 cities in America in just 22 months of operation, and the pink trucks are decorated with over 40,000 signatures from women who have survived cancer. The founder of the program, Dave Graybill, was a professional baseball player and pitched on the first ever Olympic team. Today he is a firefighter in Arizona and is very proud of what the Pink Heals Tour accomplishes each stop on the tour, “There are people across the street from us who are sick and suffering from cancer,” says Graybill “But people send their money to huge organizations forgetting the individuals in our own community. The Pink Heals Tour is a way for us to help local organizations fight cancer in their own community, raising the money locally and keeping it local.” For more information, click here.

About Rising StarsThe philosophy of the “Rising Stars” Broadway Camp is to provide each child with the opportunity to explore performance art and theater in an educational, fun, safe, and structured learning environment. “Rising Stars” always hires Broadway professionals to teach at the February, April & July camps. Each faculty member has at least one Broadway or national tour credit. The opportunity to be taught by these professionals in your own community is extremely rare. “Rising Stars” has a challenging, exciting curriculum and each day the kids come ready to learn from the “pros.” For more information, click here.

About Center StageCenter Stage is a comprehensive performing arts studio serving the South Shore. Located in Quincy, Center Stage offers its students beginner, intermediate and advanced dance lessons including: ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and modern dance. Center Stage also trains students in voice and musical instruments. Rising Stars is also housed at Center Stage which makes drama lessons available to students as well. As a full-service performing arts center, in operation for over 25 years, Center Stage is proud to play a key role in advancing the arts for young people in Quincy and throughout the South Shore. For more information, click here.

For the first time in 15 years, Newbury Street will be closed to traffic and will host fabulous shopping and events throughout the evening. Join us at Dependable Cleaners on 110 Newbury Street for a special Pop-Up Boutique featuring Melene Kent Jewels. Enjoy complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres and enter to win great prizes including $100 in Free Dry Cleaning courtesy of Dependable Cleaners.

15% of all gift card sales and jewelry sales will benefit the Ellie Fund.